Prevalence of cervical abrasion in tertiary care center of Chitwan

Abstract

Background: Cervical abrasion is defined as the loss of tooth substance that occurs in the absence of carious mechanism at cementoenamel junction of a tooth. This type of lesion can cause discommoding effects in dental health. The aim of the study was to assess the prevalence of cervical abrasion among general population in Chitwan and to relate the find­ing to probable etiology, thereby developing an etiological hypothesis that can be beneficial during treatment.

Methods: The study was carried out between August 2019 and October 2019 in 500 adults who attended the department of Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics, COMS-TH. A proforma con­sisting of demographic data, type of diet and oral hygiene practices was used for the data col­lection and each patient went through a clinical examination as well. The statistical analysis was performed using SPSS. Descriptive analysis was performed and Chi-square test of association was done.

Results: Total prevalence of cervical abrasion in the study population was 10.4%. A statistically sig­nificant relationship was observed between cervical abrasion, gender, age, toothbrush frequency, method of tooth brushing and type of toothbrush employed. The study affirmed that population with cervical abrasion had hypersensitivity.

Conclusions: The prevalence of cervical abrasions was seen to increase with age, frequency of toothbrushing, faulty method of toothbrushing and use of inappropriate type of toothbrush. Hence, it is advocated that dental professionals guide people on correct brushing technique and use of appropriate type of toothbrush to avoid and prevent this problem from worsening.